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Quick Science: Videos from Space


Astronaut Don Pettit created a series of videos called Saturday Morning Science that you’ll want to check out! He performs experiments, usually with water, in microgravity on the International Space Station. This resource could work for children of any age.

A drawing of a skull with a striped background Here’s a channel with a short version of each video. My kids especially like seeing what happens when you add an effervescent tablet to a large bubble of water, how you can “eat” tea with chopsticks, and the behavior of a bubble of water in a bubble of air inside a bubble of water.

Have you ever wondered how you might drink coffee in outer space?

Consider this resource if you are learning about gravity or the properties of water, studying astronomy, or need a video that helps students think like scientists and try to reason out what’s happening in a microgravity environment. Stop the video, discuss (maybe in teams), and then play to see what happens next.

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He has a video with amazing photos he took from the ISS. He explains the challenges of taking pictures at high speed. Check out the auroras (2:30), cities at night (2:37), and star trails (2:49).

What if you stopped the video and challenged students to guess what’s in the picture? I found images that do not have subtitles that might give a clue to the situation in the image (0:12, 1:00, 1:04, 1:46, 3:15, 3:17, 3:28, and 3:36).

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There are also still images at space.com.

Click on the image to fill your screen and hide the explanation of the picture.

Enjoy!